The invention relates to the field of motor driven operating tables, intended more particularly to surgical operations.
During surgical operations, patients have to be transferred from one place to another and more particularly from the induction room to the operation room, where they are to undergo the surgical operation, then from the operation room to the recovery room. The transfer of the patients is conventionally performed using transport trolleys which are manually pushed by the medical staff. They are transferred from their beds to the transport trolley to be brought to the operating room, where they are transferred from the transport trolley to the operating table. Such patient's transfers remain relatively not easy and entail for the medical staff injury hazards, and for the patient, a risk of worsening of injuries.
In an attempt to remedy the drawbacks related to such patients' transfers, operating tables have been proposed having an additional “transfer” functionality, i.e. making it possible to carry the patient from his or her bed and back to his or her bed after the surgical operation, without having to use a transport trolley. For example, a top of an operating table connected removably to a trolley is known from the application for European patent EP0917868. Advantageously, the top is successively transferred from the trolley to a fixed base, and reversely. Advantageously, the top is connected to a control unit intended to control a device driving an adjustable top using an electric motor. The control unit is arranged in the form of a separate unit and can be connected electrically to the top of the operating table. According to a particular configuration, the control unit is arranged in the form of a portable control apparatus.
Although the patient's transfer onto the operating table is no longer carried out with a direct handling of the patient, the system described however requires some physical strength to be able to move the top from one support to another. Besides, the system reveals to be difficult to handle. Such a system further has the drawback relating to the control unit arranged in the form of a separate unit. This reveals to be a problem during the patient's transfer, since no storage space is provided on the operating table for said control unit. In addition, due to the construction thereof, said control unit is cumbersome and little ergonomic.
A motor driven operating table controlled by a handlebar composed of two guiding arms intended to be respectively attached on either side of the table is also known from the application for European patent EP1530959. More particularly, said guiding arms are removably attached on the side rails of the table, said rails being used as an accessory holder. Said handlebar further comprises a control unit making it possible to control the operation or the stoppage of the motor, as well as the motion of the table (frontward operation and/or rearward operation) and the speed thereof. According to a particular configuration of the handlebar, the coupling of said control unit with the motor is performed optically, using infrareds.
The previously described handlebar reveals to be inappropriate, because of some of the characteristics thereof, to be used on an operating table having the transfer functionality. A first drawback of such a handlebar is related to the fact that the device controlling the position of the top, which is separated from the control unit, is a unit independent of the operating table. Said devices are so configured as to be positionable on the side rails for accessories positioned on either side of the table. Now, as there is no specific and protected location on the table, these are often forgotten on the rails, or damaged or deteriorated against the beds during the patients' transfer operations.
A second drawback is connected with the dissociated and distant position of the remote control device from the handlebar controlling the motion of the table. Now, during the patient's transfer operations from his or her bed onto the table, the user must regularly act on the remote control device of the table to adjust the height. In addition, the user must be able to make the table slope at any time in a case of emergency. Now, such a dissociation entails that the user must regularly switch from the control handlebar to the remote control device, whereas during a transfer operation, an important vigilance must be kept on the patient. In order to avoid the successive switching from one device to another, certain users prefer to hold the remote control device in their hands all along the transfer, which makes the guiding of the table rather difficult.
Another drawback is connected to the unidirectional control transfers, from the control unit to the motor, without any feedback of information. Thus, if the control unit transmits a motion command to the table, it remains “blind” for the execution of the command and for everything that happens on the table, more particularly as regards the motor electronics and the motor driven wheel. The user of the operating table has no way to know immediately the causes of the non-execution of the motion and possibly to remedy it.
Another drawback lies in the utilisation of wireless connections. Such connections can be interfered with and thus they are not reliable. Now, a bad communication between the control and the wheel generates speed variations, stops or even untimely failures. The communication through infrareds is further not recommended because of i) the slightest light interference may affect the transmission (ballast lightings such as neons as well as a too powerful lighting such as broad daylight greatly affect them), and ii) nothing happens if an operation area covers the infrared receiver or emitter. In addition, because of the low reliability of the infrared connection and of the absence of feedback from the motor, it seems difficult to increase the number of controls of the table from the handlebar. This is the reason why the motion of the operating table is limited to one motion mode, and by default the frontward operation.
Eventually, a last drawback is connected to the fact that the control handlebar is self-contained. This entails a regular electric loading, which may be particularly constraining depending on the use of said operating tables. Besides, it may happen that the controls are unloaded during the motion of the tables, which thus blocks them with the patients during the transfer thereof.
The present invention more particularly aims at remedying the drawbacks of the systems previously described by providing a control unit grouping the means controlling the motion of the table and the means controlling the positioning of the top of the table, so that the operating table is controlled by only one control system. For this purpose and according to a first aspect, the invention relates to a guiding device of a motor driven operating table comprising a top intended to support a patient and a base supporting said top, said base comprising a motor unit, of the type including a control unit intended to control the motion of the table, said control unit being coupled to the motor unit of the table, and characterised in that the control unit comprises a housing including a recess so arranged as to receive a control device intended to control the positioning of the top with respect to the base supporting the top.
Thus, all the controls of the operating table are grouped on only one control station, and the handling of the control device and the patient's transfer are facilitated, or even improved. In addition, the control device is necessarily “put away” because of the presence of a specific location dedicated thereto, which not only avoids any risk of being forgotten by the user, but also any risk of deterioration.
According to a first configuration of the invention, the recess opens at least on one side face of the housing, the side face advantageously constituting the front face of said housing. According to another configuration of the invention, the housing comprises an upper face and at least a side face, said housing opening on said upper and side faces, with the side face advantageously constituting the front face of said housing. According to a particular configuration of the invention, the recess if defined by two side walls and one bottom, said walls being connected together by a wall facing the opening formed on the side face of said housing (also called rear wall).
Advantageously, the side walls slightly converge towards the opening formed on the side face of said housing so as to form a pressing area for the control device between the side walls and to hold said control device in the housing. In addition, holding means may be provided for holding the control device in the recess. Advantageously, said holding means include an extension of the upper face of the housing above the recess.
Similarly, when the control device includes fixing means in the form of a hook, it can be advantageously used to enable the guiding of the control device in the recess. For this purpose, the housing will advantageously comprise guiding means of said control device in the recess, with said guiding means comprising a cavity formed in the bottom of the recess. The cavity will be so arranged as to allow the sliding of the means fixing the control device up to the abutting thereof against the rear wall of the recess. Advantageously, the rear wall of the recess includes electric coupling elements able to cooperate with matching electric coupling elements formed on the face of the control device intended to come into contact with said wall.
According to a second aspect, the invention relates to a motor driven operating table, of the type comprising a mobile top intended to support a patient associated with at least one actuator, a base supporting said top, said base comprising a motor unit, a device for controlling the positioning of the top coupled with the actuator, and a guiding device according to any one of the claims, said guiding device being integral with the top. Advantageously, the guiding device is removable.